Dental dams and Class III matrices, e.g. a mylar foil, are commonly used in oral surgery and conservative dentistry. The use of the dental dam, or Class III matrix, isolates the teeth or tooth being treated from other tissues in the mouth and throat. The dam, comprised of a thin flexible piece of elastomeric material, is typically manufactured from a latex material, though alternatively it can be manufactured from silicone or nitrile rubber. The dental dam improves the efficiency of the dental operation by assuring a dry working area during all steps of the operation. Further, the dentist or oral surgeon is protected from infectious disease that may reside in the mouth or throat of the patient.
The dental dam is secured in place by first fitting the dam to a rubber dam frame, which is positioned over the face and is dimensionally larger than the opened mouth to allow the dentist or oral surgeon ready access to the tooth or teeth requiring attention. Holes are then punched in the dam corresponding to the teeth that will be exposed through the dam. Alternatively, the dam is first punched to expose the teeth, and thereafter the edges of the dam are affixed to the rubber dam frame.
Once the dam is positioned to expose the teeth, it must be stabilized from movement during treatment by the dentist or oral surgeon by some type of retaining system. Previously, a retainer clamp was used to stabilize the dental dam. This clamp consists of four prongs and two jaws connected by a bow. Stabilization using this clamp is optimized if the clamp is configured to a specific tooth within a narrowed tolerance range. Failure to closely match the retainer clamp to the tooth tends to permit slippage or unwanted movement of the dam during the surgical or conservative procedure. This movement may also result in formation of an inferior seal around the teeth that causes fluid to drain into the area being treated.
For these and other reasons, it would be desirable to provide a retaining device that addresses these and other deficiencies encountered in stabilizing the dental dam, as well as providing a method for retaining a dental dam, or Class III matrix, which is neither complicated nor causes iatrogenic damage.